How to shop for car speakers
If your existing factory stereo sounds muddy and muffled, a new set of speakers will provide that extra crispness and detail you're missing.
Dollar for dollar, installing new speakers is the best way to improve your car stereo's sound.
Crutchfield carries car speakers of nearly every size, shape, and type. With so many choices available, it can be hard to know which ones to buy. Below, we'll discuss the highlights to get you started, but for more guidance on what to look for when shopping, read our car speakers buying guide.
You'll quickly notice that every step of the way, we'll ask you to tell us about your car. That's because, just like with pants, the best way to shop for speakers is to start by knowing which ones will actually fit. This will also help narrow your search so you can focus on what's relevant for your vehicle. After all, if you're looking for a single 6-1/2" dash speaker for your '69 Beetle, you don't need to see a 4"x10" speaker tooled to fit your neighbor's vintage Ford hotrod.
Speakers come in one of two forms:
Full-range speakers
The basic speaker. The tweeter and the woofer are mounted together in one body. These are also called "coaxials" or "2-way speakers." You'll also see 3-way and the occasional 4-way speakers that have an extra tweeter or midrange driver mounted on the same frame to help further separate the musical frequencies and deliver more detailed sound.
Component speakers
Also referred to as "separates." The tweeter and woofer are not mounted in the same basket. This design allows for better placement of the tweeter. The woofer mounts in the lower door location, but you can mount the tweeter in a more optimal spot, usually higher on the door or on the dash. This helps direct the high-frequency sounds toward your ears, instead of your legs, and dramatically improves how your music sounds.
At Crutchfield, we've grouped our speakers into several different categories to match the way people shop.
Speakers by size category
These are all of the standard speaker sizes found in today's vehicles. If you know you need 5-1/4" speakers, you can go straight to our 5-1/4" offerings
Tweeters
The whole tweeter and nothing but the tweeter. Sometimes you want to add a set of tweeters to your existing speakers to improve the high-frequency details in your music. Or maybe you want to replace a blown factory tweeter. Then this is the category for you. You'll find everything from inexpensive replacements to high-end tweeters that need an amplifier.
Midrange speakers
Similar to the tweeters category, midrange speakers are smaller woofers that deliver the midrange and mid-bass frequencies. Many car audio fans install midrange speakers as their rear speakers instead of full-range speakers. The lack of tweeter in the back of the car serves to pull the soundstage forward so that it sounds like the band is up front with you, the driver.
Vehicle-specific speakers
These are speakers are designed to be direct replacements in specific vehicles. Here you'll find options for classic cars and a few modern vehicles that don't have many speaker options due to cramped locations or non-standard speaker sizes.
Extreme performance speakers
These speakers are built to handle TONS of power, built from the ground up for sound competitions. They come in a variety of sizes for custom installations, including tweeters, midrange drivers, woofers, and subwoofers. If SPL competition or the absolute best sound quality is your thing, then this is your speaker category.
Speakers for custom installations
This curated category contains speakers geared for the custom installer who's looking for voice-matched components without regard for fit. In fact, many of these speakers won't fit in standard speaker locations because they're built to handle power rather than be squeezed into a Camry's door panel.
Crutchfield SpeakerCompare™
Ever wished you could listen to speakers — online — before buying them? Yeah, us too. That's why we created our patented SpeakerCompare technology. Read on to find out how it works.
Power handling
Are you powering your speakers with the factory radio or a 1,000 watt amplifier? This is an important detail when shopping for new speakers.
Tweeter design
What the tweeters are made of dramatically impacts how they sound. Read our article about tweeter design for more details.
Built-in crossovers
Having an external crossover to limit the sound frequencies sent to the tweeter can really help keep the musical details clean.
Speaker accessories
Everything from speaker wire and connectors to sound deadening materials. We have everything you need to make your new speakers sound their best.
Speaker installation tools
Installing speakers always involves removing panels and connecting wires. We offer a wide selection of tools that'll make the installation process much simpler. The right tool for the job, and all that.
